3 Things I Do During the Holidays
How I truly make it the best time of the year
I think it’s daylight saving time ending. There’s something that mark in time that heralds the beginning of a really tricky block of time in our collective calendar. Not only is it just darker and gloomier (well, depending on where you are), we also have Thanksgiving in 2 weeks, Hanukkah and Christmas in six weeks, and the beginning of 2023 in just seven weeks.
Are we panicking yet?
If you’re looking at your upcoming social engagement, anticipating end-of-the-year work stress, and family obligations, plus all the food that feels totally impossible to bolus for, it absolutely does not have to be that way.
Here are a few things that I do to prepare myself mentally and in my management before the holiday season even starts:
I examine my past experiences:
One of the things that I am always working on is refining my pattern analysis skills, and one thing that we can forget is that the holidays are a pattern! They are a seasonal pattern! Yes, Thanksgiving and other winter holidays only happen once a year but they happen every year which means we still get quite a few data points. After really taking a close look at how my holiday meals were going, I quickly realized that my blood sugars are impacted by my meal well into the night. I figured out that my extended bolus was not cutting it at its current setting and I used the data and my understanding of my tools to create an updated plan that works much better.
I prioritize myself.
Whenever I get into a mood where I just don’t want to deal with diabetes, diabetes always rears its ugly head and makes me deal with it anyway. I finally realized that even though I don’t want to deal with diabetes, accepting that diabetes needs to be dealt with actually meant enjoying myself even more. I found that doing quick but frequent check-ins, I could keep my blood sugars more stable and overall I ended up spending less time worrying about my diabetes. Anytime my blood sugars start to go high, I always end up anxiously glancing at my CGM and ruminating over everything, that I actually end up enjoying the holidays way less than if I was more mindfully proactive. I also focus on what I want from any given gathering. On one hand, I don’t want to feel restricted, but on the other hand, I want to make the most compassionate decision I can for myself. Sometimes that means making different decisions depending on what I need in that moment. That might mean waiting a little longer for something, or choosing different ingredients while cooking so I can spend less time navigating bolus strategies. It just depends!
I do my best and give myself compassion.
I’m not perfect! There are definitely times where I eat more than I planned or I didn’t consider an ingredient in something. But instead of getting frustrated (well, okay, as frustrated), I try focus on doing my best and giving myself credit for showing up the best that I can. Results may vary with blood sugars, but focusing on my behaviors and my choices helps me stay focused on continuing to learn and improve. As we’ve talked about, self-compassion does more for our motivation and overall behavior goals than self-criticism and self-bullying ever will.
If you are still feeling a little wary of the holidays, make sure you check out my Holidays without the Headache minicourse which opens on Monday, November 14. This course includes 5 modules on:
Your Holiday Mindset: what you think does matter
Boundaries During the Holidays: how cultivate healthy conversations around diabetes
Bolusing for Holiday Food: how to assess your meals and pick the right dosing strategy
Navigating Unpredictability: how to overcome unknowns like how much you’ll eat and when you’ll eat, as well as other activities and changes in plans
Stress Management: how to take care of yourself, mind, body & soul!
The course includes:
video lectures
8+ Worksheets
Your Diabetes Holiday Planner - a fillable PDF planner that you can keep as a reference guide for how you’ll navigate all of the holiday’s trickiest conundrums.
two live coaching calls with me, on Nov. 21 and Dec. 21
If you’re worried about completing it before the holidays, the lectures will take you less than 2 hours total to watch, and each worksheet should take you approximately 15-20 minutes to fill out. You can get the presale price of $37 by clicking here!